Looking for a new way to showcase your best successes? Consider the case study. It allows you to talk about your business victories without appearing to brag.

Everyone loves a good story. And that’s just what a case study is—the story of how you solved a challenging problem for your customer.

Whether your business is large or small, you probably have a wealth of success stories from people who’ve been pleased with your product or service. Now it’s time to tell those stories in writing. Case studies can be used to:

Case studies are a marketing staple. They demonstrate how your product or service has been implemented successfully by customers.

Case studies capture the customer’s perspective. They describe the customer experience start-to-finish and the positive results.

Case studies act as instructive examples Prospects who have encountered similar problems will be able to identify with the customer.

Case studies leverage the brand power of your customers. If you’re fortunate to be doing business with big companies like Apple and Walmart, their story will make a great case study.

Case studies are extraordinary marketing tools. What makes them so effective is they don’t appear to be self-serving or “salesy.” Unlike a brochure, press release or ad, they come across as informative and educational. They allow your readers to recognize themselves in the problem and think, “If that solution worked for them, maybe it can work for me!”

With a compelling use case, you’re able to demonstrate how your product offers value to your customers. Serving as third-party endorsements, case studies build the credibility of your company and are the perfect complement to your other more promotional materials.

READY TO START YOUR CASE STUDY?

• Challenge – Identify the problem and circumstances that led to the customer’s problem.
• Options – Describe alternatives the customer considered and why they ultimately chose your product.
• Solution – Explain the implementation process, including what went right and what went wrong.
• Results – Unveil the outcome. Include data, before-and-after photos, savings realized and any other relevant proof.
• Testimonial – Ask your customer to provide a quote in which they talk about how your solution was successful in solving their problem.
• Call-to-Action – Persuade readers to take the next step; make a purchase or contact you for more information.

NEED ASSISTANCE WRITING YOUR CASE STUDY?

The case study should be easy-to-read and include helpful subheads, bullets, callouts, photos and graphics. Keep paragraphs short and sentences simple. Design a look that’s consistent with your brand in terms of color, layout and format.

Once your case study is written and designed, turn it into a PDF that you can email to customers or offer as a download on your website.

Once you have your case study, you need to promote it. After all, it’s not doing you any good if no one reads it. Use the marketing tools below to hype your case study and persuade people to request it:

NEED HELP PROMOTING YOUR CASE STUDY?

A case study can be a cost-effective marketing tool. It allows for an element of storytelling that’s much more engaging than plain sales copy. Don’t settle for dull case study copy when the right words and design will deliver your message in a way that sparkles with creativity and connects with your customers!

Contact me, Susan Greene, and our team of case study writers, to get a quote on your case study project. We’re more affordable than you think!